Official Texans vs. Raiders Game Thread, 11/17/2013

[Arky]

This is interesting..... which QB would you start?

QB A last 4 appearances: 2 TD's, 5 INT's

QB B last 4 appearances: 8 TD's, 1 INT

[HPF Bob]

"Healthy" Schaub had his chance to redeem himself and, had the Raiders had better hands, there were probably three picks.

This was Keenum's worst game of the four and his OL just keeps folding in front of him like a cheap suit. Hard to blame him. Schaub proved he wasn't any better with the same cast instead of with Foster, OD, etc.

Still, you have to blame the play-calling most. When it was 3rd-and-1 inside the 10 near the end of the game, I told the out-of-towner sitting next to me at the bar "They're going to run to the left and they're going to get stuffed." This is what indeed happened and the guy said "how did you know?" I said "It's the only play Kubiak has called in that situation ALL YEAR. The entire free world knows he's going to run that play which is why it gets stuffed.

You've pretty well hit bottom when you lose to Matt McGloin. He wasn't even good at Penn State. I'm shocked he's even on an NFL roster.

We MUST draft Matthews from A&M this fall. We MUST fix the right side of the line. We can't continue with the talentless lugs we have there. They are killing the entire offense.

[sinnister]

You have to start Keenum. With that being said, Schaub will probably start. We are now playing for a high draft pick friends.

[barrett]

Keenum over schaub is a no brainer but there is reason to doubt the decision maker has a brain.

As for the OL, they are bad, but Keenum has been terrible against the blitz in every game he has played.

Maybe Case is the QB and maybe he isn't. Maybe he progresses in the remaining games in a way that shows he is. But today QB is a FAR bigger need than RT. Try naming the best RTs in the league. Look at what the best teams in the NFL have invested at RT. Drafting Matthews high in round 1 with big money committed to brown would be idiotic.

[chuck]

The Texans' irresponsible drafting and player management is going to be exposed in a serious way very soon. The team has so many needs that it will be impossible to address even a real percentage of them. They'll return one productive DL, their LBs are a horrible. The one guy who's any good can't stay on the field. They have a terrible pair of OLBs for a 3-4 team. Their secondary could and should be improved all across the board. And that's just the defense.

Tate will walk and no one knows if Arian can stay healthy so a RB is a must. Their OL blows and I don't think they'll be able to keep Wade Smith so you're looking at needing two or three starting OL. And then the most important position on the team is still a near total unknown. I like Case and I think he can play but a new coach (I'll assume just for the hell of it that Kubiak will be fired) will surely not want to go into his first year with Case at QB.

Basically the entire franchise is a total disaster and a league-wide joke.

[popanot]

Kubiak just couldn't wait to go back to his boy. You could see it a mile away just based on his presser in the beginning of the week. Schaub has royally sucked for almost a full year now and Kubiak sticks with him throughout. Keenum has a few bad quarters (with his OL sucking rotten eggs, but while the team is still in the game) and he gets yanked. I am so sick of Kubiak and McNair it makes me want to spit nails.

Man, two wildcard wins against a crap Bengals team. What a ride it's been!!! You should be proud McNair!! Maybe in another 10 years you'll reach Uncle Drayton territory in Houston lore.

[Arky]

Not Case Keenum's best game.... but nothing different from what more established players have at times.... Go check Kaepernick/Dalton/Romo/Flacco, etc. stats/box scores over the course of a season.....

----------------------------

I agree that Kubes was looking for the right opportunity to get his boy in the game....
----------------------------

Don't get the horniness to draft a QB with the Texans first pick I see on some of the messageboards.... I can respect it but I don't agree with it. I'd rather have a can't miss LB or OL..... The prospect of ending up with the next Geno Smith doesn't really do it for me..... Did we not learn anything from 2002?

[Keith]

Originally Posted by chuck

The Texans' irresponsible drafting and player management is going to be exposed in a serious way very soon. The team has so many needs that it will be impossible to address even a real percentage of them. They'll return one productive DL, their LBs are a horrible. The one guy who's any good can't stay on the field. They have a terrible pair of OLBs for a 3-4 team. Their secondary could and should be improved all across the board. And that's just the defense.

Tate will walk and no one knows if Arian can stay healthy so a RB is a must. Their OL blows and I don't think they'll be able to keep Wade Smith so you're looking at needing two or three starting OL. And then the most important position on the team is still a near total unknown. I like Case and I think he can play but a new coach (I'll assume just for the hell of it that Kubiak will be fired) will surely not want to go into his first year with Case at QB.

This assessment is so sad and mostly true. The team won't be exposed soon. They've been exposed.

Brooks Reed and Mercilus make me wonder what Connor Barwin's been up to lately. How disappointing is that?

Someone mentioned hubris. Perfect.

Bullock for a 5th rounder.

And I want to like Keenum. I really do. But he is a career backup. Can a new coach return this team to the playoffs next year? Absolutely. Even with Keenum. But Smith needs to go with Kubiak.

[Arky]

Originally Posted by Keith

This assessment is so sad and mostly true. The team won't be exposed soon. They've been exposed.

Brooks Reed and Mercilus make me wonder what Connor Barwin's been up to lately. How disappointing is that?

Someone mentioned hubris. Perfect.

Bullock for a 5th rounder.

And I want to like Keenum. I really do. But he is a career backup. Can a new coach return this team to the playoffs next year? Absolutely. Even with Keenum. But Smith needs to go with Kubiak.

Career backup? I think that's a little harsh after 3.5 games.... Right now, I see him as somewhere between starter and backup.... sort of a Doug Flutie type that can start for long stretches or come off the bench in a pinch. The thing about Case Keenum is his upside.... don't you think Drew Brees struggled in his early days? The way I see it, he's at least going to be a Flutie-type, best case scenario is he ends up a Drew Brees-type.....

Statistically, he's better than most QB's in the league already. Have you seen his vertical stats? In just 3.5 games, has thrown:

Passes of 20+ = 16
Passes of 40+ = 5

Compared to some others (who have been playing most of the year):

Matt Schaub (6.5 games)
Passes of 20+ = 20
Passes of 40+ = 1

Christian Ponder
Passes of 20+ = 20
Passes of 40+ = 2

RGIII
Passes of 20+ = 28
Passes of 40+ = 4

Tom Brady
Passes of 20+ = 27
Passes of 40+ = 5

Pro-rate Keenum's vertical stats over a 10 game span and he's right up there (or better than) with P Manning, Drew Brees, Mathew Stafford, i.e, the best in the league. He's thrown 8 TD's with 1 INT in his 3.5 games. Prorate that over a 16 game schedule and you get 37 TD's and 5 INT's (really good). Schaub's best year (2009), he threw 29 TD's with 15 INT's. So, in conclusion, he's not doing bad for essentially a rookie.....

I've always been a fan of the vertical game so I'm a bit biased but I think he can be a serviceable starter - in Arky's World, I'd love for him to finish out the year (with no interruptions) and perhaps be the de facto starter next year at least during what appears to be changes coming about and a shakeup in the organization...

For the record, I could care less about U of H and only saw parts of a handful of Keenum's TV games in his college days. No less than June Jones has mentioned his incredible accuracy and that's the way I saw it in the preseason - I saw a nice short and intermediate game. He was throwing perfectly-led flair passes and hitting receivers on slants over the middle. So, I'm a little confused about what has happened to this aspect of his game lately..... perhaps he's getting coached up....